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Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History (ed. Benson Lossing) 3 1 Browse Search
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Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History (ed. Benson Lossing), Peck, John James 1821- (search)
Peck, John James 1821- Military officer; born in Manlius, N. Y., Jan. 4, 1821; graduated at West Point in 1843, entering the 2d Artillery. He served in the war against Mexico, and resigned in 1853, settling in Syracuse as a banker. In August, 1861, he was made brigadier-general of volunteers, and, July 4, 1862, major-general. He performed excellent service during the whole Civil War, especially in defence of Suffolk. He was mustered out in August, 1865, after which he was president of a life-insurance company in Syracuse, N. Y., where he died, April 21, 1878. See Suffolk, siege of.
Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History (ed. Benson Lossing), Suffolk, operations at. (search)
Suffolk, operations at. In 1863 Gen. John J. Peck (q. v.) was in command of 9,000 men at Suffolk, in southeastern Virginia, where he had erected strong defensive works. Believing he was preparing there a base of operations for a movement against Richmond, in conjunction with the Army of the Potomac, the Confederate authorities took countervailing measures, and in February, 1863, Gen. James Longstreet was placed in command of the Confederate forces in that region, then fully 30,000 strong. Early in April Longstreet made a descent upon Peck with 28,000 men. He thought his movement was so well masked that he should take the Nationals by surprise. He drove in their pickets; but Peck, aware of his expedition, was ready for him. He had been reinforced by a division under General Getty, making the number of his effective men 14,000. The Confederates were foiled; and in May, 1863, Longstreet abandoned the enterprise and retreated, pursued some distance by Generals Corcoran and Dodge